Could Liverpool derail Arsenal Sahin deal? Krkic on the radar

THERE have been some pretty convoluted transfer sagas involving Arsenal in recent years. Transfer Talk has vivid memories of Marouane Chamakh's arrival, the departure of Cesc Fabregas and, earlier this summer, the protracted courtship of Santi Cazorla and the longwinded exit of Robin Van Persie.

But for sheer tedium the Nuri Sahin affair takes the biscuit. It seems as though the Turkish midfielder has been on the verge of joining the Gunners for months, and yesterday it was even reported that he had finally signed up for a year-long loan.

Today, though, we are back to square one. Metro reports that Arsene Wenger is "unhappy with the details" of the season-long loan, as it would have involved the Gunners paying £2m for the player's services and also covering his wages.

While chief executive Ivan Gazidis has been ordered to start renegotiating it seems Liverpool have spotted an opportunity to sneak in and are now trying to lure the player to Anfield.

But the situation would not be complete without another report that muddies the waters, and that comes from The Independent. The paper quotes reports from Germany, of all places, that suggest Sahin has agreed to a deal, passed a medical at the Emirates and could play against Stoke.

Transfer Talk is not holding its breath.

Meanwhile, today's far-fetched Arsenal rumour of the day comes from TalkSport, which claims that the Gunners and north London rivals Spurs are after Bojan Krkic. The striker left Barcelona last summer for Roma, but hardly impressed in Serie A, managing seven goals in 33 games.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has told Newcastle they can forget all about Andy Caroll. In recent weeks the England striker has been linked with a return to the Magpies just 18 months after arriving at Anfield on a £35m transfer. But Rodgers has told the Daily Mirror he’d “have to be a nutcase” to let Carroll return to St James Park.

Carroll has turned down advances from West Ham and Aston Villa this summer and the Mirror claims that’s because he’s waiting for Newcastle to come in with an offer as the transfer deadline approaches.

But Rodgers has made it clear he thinks the Geordies are as shameless as Prince Harry. “Newcastle got £35 million for this player last year,” he stormed. “To even consider wanting to take him on loan is a liberty…There is absolutely no chance any team will do a number on us - and certainly not Newcastle.”

Talksport reports that Lazio are in the hunt for Manchester City defender Kolo Toure. The former Arsenal centre-back joined the Sky Blues in 2009 but has since fallen out of favour with Roberto Mancini who prefers to put his trust in Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott.

The Ivory Coast international could leave on a free transfer at the end of the season when his contract expires but Talksport claims City are keen to push through a deal now in the hope of recouping some of the £16m they paid Arsenal three years ago. Apparently Lazio are willing to offer 31-year-old Toure “a lengthy contract” in Rome but whether he accepts depends on what sort of wages they can offer.

Ricardo Carvalho has joined Queens Park Rangers on loan from Real Madrid. The deal is effective for the whole season and will be a boost to Rangers following Saturday’s 5-0 humiliation at the hands of Swansea. The 34-year-old Carvalho enjoyed five years with Chelsea before moving to the Bernabeu in 2010 but when it was made clear to him by Jose Mourinho that his days with Real were over he jumped at the chance to return to London.

The Evening Standard says that Carvalho could soon be joined at Loftus Road by Tottenham and England defender Michael Dawson, expected to make a £9m move from the Lane any time now. Sunderland had been interested in taking Dawson to the northeast but baulked at the size of the fee.

Southampton have seen 21-year-old Gaston Ramirez slip through their fingers according to his agent Oscar Betancourt. Earlier in the week the Saints appeared to have the Bologna forward in the bag but calciomercatoweb.it reports that talks “have broken down”.

While Southampton were willing to stump up the £11.8m asked by the Italian club, Betancourt says Bologna’s parlous financial situation scuppered the deal. "The negotiations with Southampton have ended," said Betancourt. "The player was very happy with the offer received, but now he will probably remain at Bologna… Bologna didn't want to close the deal without the bank guarantees.”

Asked if there was any truth in the rumours that Tottenham and Liverpool might make a last minute offer, Betancourt said Tottenham’s courting had been “rejected” while the Reds “have never presented a concrete offer”.

Finally, The Sun reports that Chelsea have turned down Manchester City’s £30m offer for David Luiz. The Brazilian centre-back missed the Blues’ victory over Reading last night with a reported knee strain but the Sun says it was because City were hoping to thrash out a last-minute deal.

The Sky Blues need defensive cover for the injured Micah Richards and boss Roberto Mancini is eager to bring in the 25-year-old Luiz. But their initial offer of £30m is below Chelsea’s estimation for the South American and they’ve told City they’ll have to come back with a bigger and better offer.